The Look of Love
by Boisterous Hal
Summary: Peter is a teacher at the Primatech Primary School. Gabriel joins the teaching staff, and they become friends before falling in love with each other. AU and slash.
1. Summer and Fall

Summary: Peter is a teacher at the Primatech Primary School. Gabriel joins the teaching staff, and they become friends before falling in love with each other. AU and slash.

Pairing: Peter and Gabriel.

Warnings: Slash, with a sexy-time scene.

Notes: This story will be published as two chapters.

For those of you who are wondering, Gabriel does **not** turn bad in this story. There are no bad characters, just inner conflicts. Oh, the humanity, indeed. Yes, I've written Nathan as a good guy this time, as I promised myself that I would.

Since I enjoy seasonal fan fics (i.e. fan fics which are divided into four sections, each section being headed by one of the four seasons), I have written this as such.

The poem about English grammar, which was written on the blackboard by Peter, was sourced from _The West Australian _(aka the newspaper of awesomeness, those being my own words), Saturday 19th September 2009, p. 58. The origin of the poem is unknown. BTW, I'm not sure if the grammar described in the poem is actually taught in third grade. I can't draw on my own experience because I can't remember. Anyway, it's not an essential detail, but you can nitpick if I'm wrong.

For those who don't know, Milo Ventimiglia's (he's the actor who portrays Peter Petrelli, and I'm mad at you if you didn't already know that) crooked mouth is due to dead nerve cells he has had since birth. Personally, I don't think of it as a defect. If he's not bothered by it, why should I be?

Dedication: This fan fic is dedicated to petrelli heiress, a very special friend of mine. Her commitment to expressing the wonderfulness of the Peter/Sylar (Peter/Gabriel) pairing is commendable.

Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes, nor 'The Look of Love' by Diana Krall ('Winter' in the second chapter). If I did own Heroes, I would ruin the show. It's hard to believe, I know, but there you go. Hey, that rhymes!

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**The Look of Love**

Summer

The red brick building housing Primatech Primary School, glistened brilliantly in the sun. It was a small school, with classes ranging from grades one through seven, and one class for each grade. It had been established half a century ago, and prided itself on providing 'high quality eduction to the leaders of tomorrow, at affordable prices'. Primatech was the name of the company that had been a major contributor to the funding of the school's establishment, hence the name.

Peter Petrelli taught third grade. He was a young man, and had taught at Primatech for three years. Peter was well liked by all of the students and staff, because he was polite and generous. It was getting near to midday, and he was teaching English in this period. He wrote the following poem on the blackboard:

Every name is called a NOUN, as field and fountain, street and town,

In place of a noun the PRONOUN stands, as he and she clap their hands,

The ADJECTIVE describes a thing, as magic wand or bridal ring,

The VERB means action, something done, to read and write, to jump and run,

How things are done the ADVERBS tell, as quickly, slowly, badly or well,

The PREPOSITION shows relations, as in the street or at the station,

CONJUNCTIONS join in many ways, sentences, words or phrase and phrase,

The INTERJECTION cries out hark! I need an exclamation mark!

Molly Walker's hand shot up. Peter sighed inwardly. Molly was prone to asking lots of intelligent questions. While Peter had a strange fondness for the little girl, her incessant questioning held up the class. The other kids tended to avoid her, since they were intimidated by her intelligence, and also because she claimed that she could 'find people'. They didn't know what she meant by that exactly, and they didn't really want to know.

"Yes, Molly?"

"Mr. Petrelli, what does hark mean?"

"I don't know Molly. It's just a word like 'wow!' or 'oh!'. If you find out the origin of the word, be sure to tell me, please."

"Yes, Mr. Petrelli." The class giggled.

"Now, class. I who can give me an example of a noun?"

Molly Walker's hand shot up.

"Yes, Molly?"

"Girl."

"Yes, very good. Can anyone else give me an example of a noun?"

Micah Sanders raised his hand. He was another intelligent kid, but he didn't ask as many questions as Molly.

"Yes, Micah?"

"Motherboard."

"Correct." Peter smiled, and Micah returned the smile. It was no secret that Micah was already a genius at age seven, having already built computers on his own. He had even shown Peter some of his creations, and Peter was very impressed.

"Okay, who can give me an example of..." Peter paused momentarily for effect, "...an adverb?"

Molly's hand shot up for the hundred and fifth time that day.

"Someone besides Molly, please." Molly pouted, and Peter smiled apologetically.

"Jennifer, can you give me an example of an adverb?" Peter asked Jennifer Garner. Jennifer was one of the quiet kids in the class, but her secret was being a kid spy at nighttime.

After a bit of thought, Jennifer answered, "Gracefully".

"Yes, gracefully is an adverb. Very good."

Molly's hand raised her hand. It was a wonder that her arm was still attached to her body, with the amount of hand raising which she did every day at school. Peter sighed inwardly, again.

"Yes, what is it, Molly?"

"Mr. Petrelli, why is your mouth that way?" The class giggled.

"Molly, you shouldn't ask such questions!" Micah scolded.

Peter was slightly taken aback, but he kept his composure. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd been asked that question. His mouth was always lopsided, you see.

"It's okay, Micah. I've had this since birth. It's caused by dead nerve cells. Now, do you have more personal questions, Molly? If so, I can answer them, but we'll have to stay back after 3:00 to complete our day's work."

Everyone, and I mean everyone, glared meaningfully at Molly. Molly shook her head.

"Good. Now class, can you please open your workbooks and write down two of each type of word I have up on the blackboard. Who can tell me what two times eight is?"

Audrey Hepburn raised her hand. She was very cute girl, with a mousy laugh.

"Audrey."

"Two times eight is 16."

"Yes, very good. You should have 16 words in total, for this exercise."

The class quietly went about completing the exerise. Peter looked out the window, grateful that he was inside this air conditioned classroom instead of outside in the heat. Very soon, the school bell rang, signalling that lunctime had commenced.

Peter went to the staff room, to find the school principal was already there. Noah Bennet was his name, and what you would immediately notice about him was that he wore horn-rimmed glasses. He could be scary sometimes, but he was a well liked and well respected boss.

Mr. Bennet was standing next to the new member of staff. The man was tall, with dark hair and very thick eyebrows. He was around the same age as Peter. He wore spectacles, though not of the horn-rimmed variety. Instead, he wore old style, thick framed glasses which were black in colour. Peter thought he looked rather smart.

It was his first day teaching at Primatech, and naturally he was a bit nervous. He had stepped in to replace Kaito Nakamura, who had made the decision to retire.

"Peter, I'd like you to meet Gabriel Gray, our new member of staff. Gabriel, this is Peter Petrelli, who teaches third grade."

The two men shook hands. Peter always liked meeting new people, and warmly greeted Gabriel. Gabriel returned the smile, warmly.

"You must be stepping in to teach second grade," Peter said.

"That's right," Gabriel replied.

"Everything been okay, so far?"

"Yeah, it's been cool, thanks."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but you know me," Noah said. "Principal related stuff awaits!" Noah exited with his usual cheerfulness.

"He's a good guy," Gabriel commented.

"Yeah, he is, and he knows how to run a school, believe me," Peter replied.

"Say, would it be okay if I had lunch with you?"

"Oh yeah, sure." Peter smiled again. He liked Gabriel already. He was a little reserved, but that was to be expected on his first day of work.

"So, are you from around here?" Peter asked, when they had sat down with their lunches.

"No, I'm from New York actually."

"Ah, the Big Apple! I was from there myself, and wanted to go someone quiet. That's how I ended up here, at Salty Springs."

"That's funny. I moved here for the same reason." Gabriel nodded and smiled. The conversation continued in a friendly manner, with much laughter shared. Interspersed with the conversation, were various members of staff coming up to introduce themselves to Gabriel. Among these, were Matt Parkman, who taught first grade, Tracy Strauss (fifth grade) and Mohinder Suresh (seventh grade). Gabriel commented to Tracy that she had a striking resemblance to Diana Krall. She laughed cutely and said, "Oh, I get that all the time".

An hour after the beginning of lunch, the school bell rang again to signal its end.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Peter. Maybe we could continue our conversation after school."

"I'd like that very much. It was nice to meet you too, Gabriel."

After class had finished for the day, Peter had a quick chat with Molly.

"I've heard that you've said to the other kids that you can 'find people' "

"That's right," Molly said, shifting uncomfortably.

"They don't believe you, do they?"

"No, they don't,"

"Well, I want to know that I believe you. I can 'find people' too, Molly."

"Are you making a joke, Mr. Petrelli?"

"No. I have empathy, you see. That means I can copy the special abilities of other people, whom I've been in close contact with. Do you believe me?"

Molly nodded.

"Good girl. This will be our secret, okay?"

"Okay. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Peter smiled. "See you tomorrow, Molly."

Molly beamed. "Bye, Mr. Petrelli."

After Molly had left the classroom, Peter looked up to see Gabriel standing at the doorway. Peter panicked for a moment, thinking that Gabriel had overheard his conversation with Molly, but relaxed when Gabriel made no indication that he had. Peter grinned, and chatted away with his new friend, as they walked down the corridor.

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Fall

"Molly Walker and Micah Sanders are brilliant students, Noah," Peter said. He was sitting in Mr. Bennet's office, during a lunchtime in October.

"I can see that," Noah commented, as he looked at the two students' interim reports, which Peter had presented to him. Noah had spoken to Molly and Micah personally, and had been impressed by their brightness.

"I'd appreciate it if you could recommend to the Education Board, that they skip a grade."

"Of course. I feel the same way you do, Peter. They really should skip a grade. You know that ultimately, it's not my decision, but I'll do the best I can."

"Thank you, sir."

*****

Later that same day, Gabriel was teaching the grade two's how to tell the time. He was very happy in his new job, as he liked the students and the students liked him, and he had almost made friends with all the staff. He had become best friends with Peter, whom he had gotten to know quite well. Tonight, they were going to have dinner together. He liked spending time with Peter, since Peter seemed to like him and they had common interests. Peter's elder brother, Nathan, would be joining them for dinner. Gabriel had never met Nathan before, and Peter had said good things about him, so Gabriel looked forward to it.

Even with things going so well, there was something that happened in Gabriel's mind which would emerge now and again. It had happened for about a year now. Today, the 'curse' (as he called it), emerged again.

On his toy clock face, he shifted the hands so that the small hand pointed halfway between four and five, and the large hand pointed to the six.

"Who can tell me what time it is on my clock?" A crowd of hands were raised.

"John."

"Half-past-four"

"That's correct, John. We can also call this four-thirty, because it's 30 minutes after 4 o'clock. Are there any questions?"

The students shook their heads. They were a bright bunch.

_Tick. Tick tick._ The ticking sound in Gabriel's head was faint at first, then grew louder.

_Tick. Tick tick._ He frowned. "Oh no, it's happening again," he thought.

"Mr. Gray, are you alright?" Katy Perry asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Katy. It's just..."

He looked up the analog clock on the wall behind him. It showed two-thirty. He sensed that each hour, the clock would lose five seconds. He didn't know how he knew that. He just...did.

"There's something I need to do first, kids," Gabriel said, turning back to the class. "Could you please complete page five of your workbooks." The kids settled down quietly to do just that.

Gabriel immediately went to the clock and took it down from the wall. He opened the battery compartment and removed the battery. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the ticking sound in his head stopped. He brought out the clock repairing kit he had brought with him, from his jacket pocket. Opening up the clock, he efficiently checked the springs and mechanisms, and replaced one of the mechanisms. He put the clock back together, replaced the battery, and hung it back on the wall. The ticking sound in his head did not return, meaning that he had fixed the clock. He didn't rejoice, however. He sighed. He knew something was wrong with him, but he felt trapped, because he felt that people would think he was crazy if he told them about the ticking sound in his head. He looked out the window at the orange-red leaves on the trees, wishing that dinner would come sooner, rather than later.

*****

Dinner was going well for Gabriel, under the circumstances. He was getting on well with Nathan. Nathan was the police chief of Salty Springs, and well respected in the community. It was easy to see why, since Nathan had an easy going personality and a hearty laugh. Peter and Nathan mutually respected each other, with plenty of friendly banter going on between the two of them. Gabriel was an only child, and he wished he had a brother or sister whom he could confide in, or at least share a laugh with.

The only downside (though it was a major downside) to the evening was that Gabriel couldn't get the ticking-sound-in-his-head incident out of his mind. He had hardly touched his food, which Peter noticed.

"Gabriel, you need to eat. You're so skinny. Is something wrong?" Peter looked concerned.

Oh, how Gabriel wanted to tell him everything! He didn't want to lose Peter as a friend, so he shook his head and said, "no".

"It's okay, you can trust me," Peter said. "If you have problems, then I want to help you. Come to think of it, you think you have problems? I've had this ticking sound in my head ever since we entered the restaurant. I just can't push it away." Peter gave a nervous laugh, and Nathan laughed too, thinking that his brother had cracked a joke. Peter hadn't.

Gabriel stared at him, wide-eyed. His confession burst out in a rush. He didn't know why he confessed so suddenly, but he felt somehow that Peter and Nathan would understand. Perhaps, that was part of his craziness. "But...but...that's what has been happening to me, for so long now," Gabriel said, sadly. "Every time a clock is slow or fast, a ticking sounds gets into my head. It doesn't stop, until I've fixed the clock. I'm crazy, I know."

There was a momentary silence. "Nobody here thinks you are crazy," Peter said quietly. "You're special, like us." Gabriel looked up at Peter, wondering if Peter had gone mad too.

"This guy..." Peter continued, pointing a thumb at Nathan, "...he can fly".

"You can...fly?" Gabriel asked Nathan.

Nathan nodded his head, seriously. "Yep. Peter is able to mimic the special abilities of other people whom he comes into contact with."

Peter nodded, and said, "That explains the ticking sound!" Peter smiled, and Nathan did too. They were pleased that Gabriel had spoken about the ability that had been his inner demon, and that he was special just like them.

Gabriel looked at the two of them, dumbfounded. He could tell that they were not pulling his leg. "All this time, I thought it was the only one. I've felt so alone. I thought that I had a curse."

Nathan laughed. "You're not cursed. It's just who you are. Peter and I were scared when we first discovered our abilities. But through each other, we learned that there's nothing to be afraid off. Your ability can't kill you."

Peter reached across the table and put his hand on top of Gabriel's hand. "We're here to help you, Gabriel. We're your friends, and we understand what you're going through."

Gabriel smiled. He was so scared that he would be rejected because of his ability, and was pleasantly shocked to discover that he was accepted for who he was.

"I'm not alone," he said, and for the first time, he didn't feel confused about himself. He finished off his meal, enjoying the special bond he had with his new friends.

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**The next instalment will be Winter and Spring. No surprises, there. :-)**


	2. Winter and Spring

Author's note: The method used by Peter to teach Gabriel how to control his ability, was inspired by the concentration exercise used by Rand al'Thor in Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series.

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Winter

Ever since Gabriel had revealed his ability to Peter and Nathan, Gabriel and Peter had become very close. They were even closer than they were before. They saw a lot of each other, outside of school hours, with hours together spent shopping, playing soccer, and dining out among other things. They both felt a special bond towards the other, which would remain for life.

*****

"Keep your eyes closed. Picture the flame in your mind. Relax," Peter said softly to Gabriel. It was a chilly January morning. They were both sitting cross legged on the floor of Peter's living room, with their eyes closed.

They had done this exercise every weekend for the past three months. To perform the exercise, the special (another name for a person with an ability) had to close his or her eyes, and picture a flame. The image of the flame had to be maintained for as long as possible, and it was harder to do than it sounded. It took great concentration by the special to successfully complete the exercise, as it was human nature to let the mind wander.

Peter explained to Gabriel that he had learned this method from Lao Shi Chan, a wise, elderly man who had the ability to block all physical attacks, similar to a force shield. This method was an extension of ancient Chinese meditation, and those who persevered with their meditation would become 'one with their ability'. Peter and Nathan had successfully done this.

Gabriel struggled at when he began three months ago, as his mind wandered to thoughts about Peter, his students, tests, breakfast, and Peter (again). However, he eventually got the hang of it after a few hours. Much to his excitement, he found that the ticking sound in his head was bothering him considerably less, thanks to his meditation. It had only been three months since he had started. Peter commented that it usually took longer for results to become apparent, so Gabriel must be a very special special. Gabriel chuckled, at being called a 'special special'.

*****

Salty Springs Lake had frozen over. After the meditation exercise, Peter and Gabriel went ice fishing. They had an enjoyable time, even though it was freezing, and caught just over a handful of fish. Gabriel scaled and gutted the fish, and after taking a shower, they headed out to do some shopping. By nighttime, they were all shopped out, and they headed to Gabriel's home.

Gabriel made hot chocolate for both of them. They sat down on the living room sofa next to each other, with their yummy beverages, in front of the fireplace. Gabriel looked at Peter, and Peter looked back at Gabriel. Gabriel was grateful he had found a friend in Peter. Peter cared about everyone unconditionally, he was never selfish, and he lit up a room wherever he went. That was why he was so well liked. As the ticking sound in his head had dissipated, Gabriel felt his feelings of love towards Peter grow. It was romantic love, and Gabriel felt selfish for feeling this way towards Peter. After all, they had only only known each other for less than a year. Still, he could not push his feelings aside. Gabriel felt that his heart would explode if he kept his thoughts to himself. He would tell Peter his true feelings, tonight. He set his mug down on the coffee table.

"Gabriel, is everything all right?"

"Yeah. I justed wanted to thank you, for all the help you have given me."

"That's okay," Peter said, his lips curling upwards slightly. Gabriel looked at Peter's beautiful brown eyes. He realised he was staring, and turned back to the fireplace in front of them.

"I also want to say..." Gabriel started. He almost stopped himself from what he would say next, but he knew he just had to let it out.

"Yes, Gabriel?"

"I wanted to say that I have feelings towards you. Feelings of love. I've fallen in love with you." There, he had said it. Now would come the part where Peter rejected him, and he would crawl into a ditch and expire, because his life would not be worth living without Peter returning his love. Peter didn't deserve a selfish creature like himself.

Peter blinked. He quickly put his mug on the coffee table, and placed his hands in Gabriel's.

"I love you too, Gabriel. All this time, I thought that we could be friends, and nothing more. But after all the things we've done together, and the way you care for me, I look at you and I feel...love." Peter looked into Gabriel's brown eyes, which were just as beautiful as Peter's.

_The look of love is in your eyes_

_A look your smile can't disguise_

_The look of love_

_It's saying so much more_

_Than just words could ever say_

_And what my heart has heard_

_Well, it takes my breath away_

"What?" Gabriel said. He could hardly believe his ears.

"I love you, Gabriel," Peter repeated, but he frowned. "But I can't. I can't continue to love you."

"Why not?"

"You're a man. I'm a man. What will other people think? They'll ridicule us."

"Screw other people," Gabriel said, firmly. "We can't lie, and hide our feelings towards each other. If we did, it would be like saying that we're not school teachers. We'd be lying to ourselves."

By now, their faces were almost touching each other. They didn't know how that had happened. It was if someone had switched a stove on. A spark fired, and their lips smashed together like waves crashing upon the shore.

_I can hardly wait to hold you_

_Feel my arms around you_

_How long I have waited_

_Waited just to love you_

_Now that I have found you_

They reluctantly ceased kissing after ten seconds. Gabriel immediately ripped off his spectacles and turned his head from side to side, in slow motion. An observer would have said that he looked like he was doing a shampoo commercial. Peter always thought that he looked cute with his glasses on. Now that Peter could finally see him without his glasses, Peter's only thought was that Gabriel looked...he looked...perfect. That was the word that Peter was looking for.

They kissed each other on the neck, their breathing becoming more difficult with each kiss. They unbuttoned each other's shirt and rubbed each other's chesticles. They felt themselves warm up, defeating the freezing temperature enveloping their bodies.

Before long, Peter found himself lying supine on the carpet, shirtless, with a shirtless Gabriel on top of him. Peter wondered for a split second, how he had ended up in this position, and questioned if things were moving too fast. He realised that he didn't care. All he cared about right now, was that he loved Gabriel deeply, and that Gabriel felt the same way about him.

_You've got the look of love_

_It's on your face_

_A look that time can't erase_

_Be mine, tonight_

_Let this be just the start_

_Of so many nights like this_

_Let's take the lover's vow_

_And then seal it with a kiss_

_I can hardly wait to hold you_

_Feel my arms around you_

_How long I have waited_

_Waited just to love you_

_Now that I have found you_

_Don't ever go_

_Don't ever go_

_I love you so_

They rushed to Gabriel's bedroom and made love through the night, both never wanting it to end, and both wanting to hold on to the other, forever.

_I can hardly wait to hold you_

_Feel my arms around you_

_How long I have waited_

_Waited just to love you_

_Now that I have found you_

_Don't ever go_

_Don't ever go_

_Don't ever go._

*****

In the days following, Gabriel and Peter told their colleagues that they were an item. Their colleagues all supported and congratulated them, and they both felt wonderful.

Gabriel gave Nathan the happy news, and Nathan was overjoyed that his brother had at last found love. Since Peter's parents had sadly passed away, Gabriel asked Nathan if he could ask for Peter's hand in marriage. Nathan said, "Go right ahead, with my blessing". Nathan was thanked profusely, which he dismissed. "Just get me a good seat at the wedding," he said, and they both laughed.

A couple of weeks after Gabriel and Peter's passionate night, Noah had very good news for Peter. The Education Board had contacted him about Molly Walker and Micah Sanders's cases in record time, and it had accepted the proposal to have them bypass a grade. In the staff room at lunchtime, Peter broke the news to Gabriel excitedly, but the latter was hardly listening, as he kept thinking about the engagement ring in his jacket pocket.

"I have some news of my own, Peter. Well, it's actually something I want to ask you," Gabriel said loudly, and all conversation in the room stopped. Peter raised an eyebrow, surprised by Gabriel's sudden declaration.

"I want to thank you for being so good to me, from the time we first met, up until now," Gabriel continued. "I never thought I would find my soul mate here, but I have. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Peter grinned wider than he had ever had before. He was speechless.

"That's why I want to ask you this," Gabriel said, and he stood up, took the ring out of his pocket and kneeled next to Peter. "Peter, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Gabriel. Yes, I will marry you!" Peter exclaimed, and all of the staff clapped and cheered. Of course, the other staff knew beforehand that Gabriel was going to propose.

Gabriel slid the ring onto Peter's finger, and they embraced and kissed.

They were asked later that day by their classes, why they were grinning so much. They said that they were engaged. Some of the kids were confused that they had fallen in love with another man, and some commented it that it was "yucky". Gabriel and Peter brushed it off, by saying that it's important to be true to your feelings, including feelings of love. The children were too young to understand the joy of falling in love, but they would understand one day.

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Spring

The wildflowers bloomed in shades of red, orange, pink, white, blue, yellow, and every other colour you could think of. Peter and Gabriel wanted to have hold the wedding in Spring, so they planned the ceremony at a hectic pace. It was held in a beautiful botanic garden, and all the Primatech Primary School staff, Peter and Gabriel's families, and the residents of Salty Springs (its population was about 90) were invited.

Noah Bennet volunteered to officiate the ceremony for free, which the couple accepted. Peter and Gabriel spoke their vows, and pledged their everlasting love to each other in front of their friends and loved ones. The applause was deafening, as they were declared husband and husband, and gave each other a long, passionate kiss.

It was a great day, enjoyed immensely by all. Peter and Gabriel felt surreal.

Soon after the wedding, they both took leave from teaching for a week, to have their honeymoon in Austria. As they walked down a historic street in Vienna, Peter leaned his head on Gabriel's shoulder.

"Gabriel, could you have imagined that almost a year ago, we'd be together, today?"

"No, I didn't."

"Neither did I."

Gabriel smiled. "I'm glad that we are together. I love you, Peter."

Peter returned the smile, with interest. "I love you too, Gabriel."

Gabriel now had full control over his ability. That is, his intuitive aptitude (as his ability came to be known), would only work when he commanded it to. This was a reason for celebration, alongside his marriage to Peter.

Peter and Gabriel felt stronger when they were with the other, both physically and emotionally. They lived a long and happy life together, until the end of their days.

THE END

**Aww, that's so sweet. Can you imagine an entire town full of Peter and Gabriel shippers? *I sigh happily, and then I blink, having realised the story is complete.* Er, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please comment, and tell me if you liked it or not.**


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